to her side. Her bag fell to the
ground, and she struggled to regain her lost breath.

"Oh!" groaned the old lady, gasping for breath, "he's mos' knocked the
breath out of me. I sha'n't live long a'ter such a shock. I'm achin' all
over. Why did you let him do it?"

"He was too quick for me, Mrs. Payson. I hope you feel better."

"I dunno as I shall ever feel any better," said Mrs. Payson gloomily.
"If Cynthy Ann only knew how her poor old ma'am had been treated! I
dunno as I shall live to get home!"

"Oh, yes, you will," said the young man cheerfully, "and live to see a
good many years more. Would you like to have me attend you home?"

"I ain't got strength to go so fur," said Mrs. Payson, who had not
given up her plan of taking tea out. "I guess I could go as fur as
Mis' Frost's, an' mebbe some on you will tackle up an' carry me back to
Cynthy Ann's a'ter tea."

Arrived at the farmhouse, Mrs. Payson indulged in a long detail of
grievances; but it was observed that they did not materially affect her
appetite at tea.

The offending musket was found by Frank under a tree, where Pomp had
dropped it when it went off.

CHAPTER XXVIII. JOHN HAYNES HAS A NARROW ESCAPE

John Haynes found the time hang heavily upon his hand after his
withdrawal from the boys' volunteer company. All the boys with whom he
had been accustomed to associate belonged to it, and in their
interest could talk of nothing else. To him, on the contrary, it was a
disagreeable subject. In the pleasant spring days the company came out
twice a week, and went through company drill on the Common, under the
command of Frank, or Captain Frost, as he was now called.

Had Frank shown himself incompetent, and made himself ridiculous by
blunders, it would have afforded John satisfaction. But Frank, thorough
in all things, had so carefully prepared himself for his duties that
he never made a mistake, and always acquitted himself so creditably and
with such entire self-possession, that his praises were in every mouth.

Dick Bumstead, too, manifested an ambition to fill his second
lieutenancy, to which, so much to his own surprise, he had been elected,
in such a manner as to justify the company in their choice. In this he
fully succeeded. He had become quite a different boy from what he was
when we first made his acquaintance. He had learned to respect himself,
and perceived with great satisfaction that he was generally respected by
the boys. He no longer